PAT Nevin has revealed he feared the worst when Gordon Strachan replaced Craig Levein last year as he reckoned if the “brains trust” put together by the new Scotland boss didn’t fix our problems then nothing could.

Scotland had slumped to 72 in the FIFA rankings under Levein but Strachan has restored the feelgood factor with morale-boosting home and away wins over world No.4 Croatia helping to propel his side up to No.34.

Now, on the first anniversary of Strachan’s appointment, former Scotland star Nevin salutes the passionate patriot who has done so much to restore the Tartan Army’s pride.

The BBC pundit said: “I knew from watching his Celtic teams that Gordon was a capable manager but I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by just how well he has done since taking the job.

“My worry when I heard the news of his appointment is if it didn’t work out for him the real problem wouldn’t lie with the management.

“Let’s face it, with Gordon, Mark McGhee and Stuart McCall it’s as close as you can get to a Brains Trust of Scottish football.

“Fortunately, it has worked and I’ve been impressed by the players Gordon has brought in. Ikechi Anya came out of left field but, after two appearances, he’s now a regular.

“That’s how it should be. I was delighted to hear him say he’d be looking to bring Dundee United’s Ryan Gauld into the set-up even though he’s only 18.

“It’s been the culture in this country for too long that we hold players back.

“We’re far too slow to give youngsters international experience but Brazil didn’t wait until Oscar or Neymar were 24 before giving them a chance and it’s good to see Gordon thinks that way too.”

Nevin has been just as impressed by the way Strachan and his team have helped to widen the net for Scotland’s pool of talent.

The 50-year-old added: “Bringing in Liam Bridcutt from Brighton was a smart move.

“Belgium has a population of 11 million but they widen it to 30 million when they include former colonies and by using residency rules so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do that too.

“I was also pleased Kilmarnock’s Kris Boyd has been brought back into the fold.

“Most people thought he’d had his time with Scotland but he’s still scoring and looking as dangerous as ever so it’s great to see him in there – it proves no one is being ruled out.

“The only player who should be involved but isn’t is Kris Commons and that’s down to the player making that choice but I hope Gordon can persuade him to change his mind.”

Strachan has restored the confidence of the players asked to wear the famous dark blue shirt and Nevin reckons he deserves a degree in sports psychology for the work he’s done there.

The former Chelsea, Everton, Motherwell and Kilmarnock winger said: “He’s had to calm down the expectations of the fans who never need too much encouragement to get carried away.

“At the same time he’s delivering completely the opposite message to his squad, telling them they’re good enough to go out and beat anyone.

“That’s been proved by the wins in Croatia and Norway.

“Gordon has given our players the self-belief which had so obviously been lacking for a long time.”

Nevin also revealed Strachan was every bit as committed to the cause during his dozen years as a Scotland star, which ended in 1992 at the age of 35.

He said: “I wasn’t quite his replacement but I was the next in line. I was coming into the side as he was on his way out.

“However, he never once made me feel as though I was a rival. There was none of the quiet antagonism or bitchy comments you would get from some others.

“Gordon was always extremely positive and he only ever wanted what was best for Scotland.

“There were quite a number of players from his generation and the one immediately before who gave the impression that playing for their country was not a priority but that was never the case with him.

“He was always good to be around. I liked the intelligence of his humour but there was also a depth of character there and he was dedicated to winning.”